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in reply to: 5 day itinerary, arriving in Cienfuegos departing Santa Clara? #15164

Hi Mario,

Our trip is shaping up!! And I have a few last questions.

Do you think we should spend the first day/night in Cienfuegos? We will be there by 1PM but will be low energy (our flight is leaves JFK at 5:30 AM). And if so, do you think it would be nicer to stay in Central Cienfuegos or Punta Gorda area? Do you think we could visit El Nico the first day if I try to arrange it with our guest house by email in advance. Maybe that’s too ambitious and relaxing in the town is enough. (For my project, I will need to paint portraits for 43 or 4 hours each day.)

I’m thinking of two nights in Trinidad and then heading toward Santa Clara for the last night. It might  be interesting to spend it in another town en route: Remedios, Santa Clara or Santi Spiritas? Which town would you pick? Or should we just stay put in Trinidad for 3 nights and day trip from there?

Thanks so much!
Best,
Brenda

[BZLAM]

in reply to: 5 day itinerary, arriving in Cienfuegos departing Santa Clara? #15021

Dear Mario,

Thanks so much for your advice and awesome insights! I appreciate your generosity and admire your clarity.

All best,

Brenda

PS I am going with plan A and feel great about it!!

[BZLAM]

in reply to: 5 day itinerary, arriving in Cienfuegos departing Santa Clara? #15010

Mario,

Thanks so much! I’m getting a little closer to deciding.

In Plan A:

The advantage of focusing on Trinidad is that we will get some beautiful time in an historic city with great architecture, music etc and some nature too: beaches (I’m reading conflicting reports on Playa Ancon), waterfalls and mountains…  We will return home well rested  with a taste of Cuba and the people and some lovely moments in nature. Later we can fly direct to Havana for a city vacation. I believe direct fights from NYC are planned for the near future.

In plan B:

We experience a ton of culture, architecture, museums, night life in Havana and Trinidad. There’s significant travel time (8 to 10 hours) on the road, which will not always be fun and not be restful (especially with a teenager in tow) or efficient. But we will have experienced a bit Havana and a bit of Trinidad.

But it seems a sad to have so little time in Trinidad and might not offer enough/any nature…

If we leave for Havana early on the 10th we could have more time in Trinidad (maybe nature time too). This would be:

Trinidad:  afternoon and evening on the 8th,  full day on the 9th (some beach or nature)

Havana: half day on the 10th, 11th full day and 12th travel to Santa Clara for a 6 pm flight. Would you recommend this more?

Would we be able to book a reliable bus to Santa Clara on the 12th?  Or is a taxi a safer choice?

It’s really difficult to choose between A and B.

Maybe I’m leaning toward plan A? Is that what you would pick?

Thanks again, Mario! This has been really useful toward the final decision.

All best,

Brenda

[BZLAM]

in reply to: 5 day itinerary, arriving in Cienfuegos departing Santa Clara? #15003

Hi Mario,

Thanks so much for the excellent advice. I am leaning that way, especially because it’s my 16 year old daughter’s school break and it should be somewhat relaxing for her. I will also be painting water color portraits (hopefully musicians) and need to factor in an hour or two of work time each day.

But I’m feeling a conflicted about missing Havana on this first trip;(

So I was also considering:

Going straight from the airport to Trinidad. Spending the remaining day of Oct 8 there and sleeping there that night.

Oct 9: morning in Trinidad, then cab to Havanna (don’t know how long it takes, how much it costs or if it is a beautiful and worthwhile drive in the context of a 5 day trip).  Evening in Havana.

Oct 10: Full day in Havana. Sleep in Havana

Oct 11: Half day in Havana and travel to Santa Clara (don’t know how long or if a buss is possible?). Maybe sleep in Santa Clara on October 11? (Heard Santa Clara is a fun university town, with a great music scene…?

Morning exploring Santa Clara . Get to the airport at 3.

Is this plan too ambitious to be fun?

I greatly appreciate your help.

All best,

Brenda

 

 

 

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